Starting New
by Twilight-Princess5545
Summary: Hiccup ran away, and now, 5 years later, Berk is on the edge of destruction. With only a few rumors to go on, one viking has been sent off alone to find someone to save Berk before it's too late. All hope rests on the mysterious man behind the rumors. This will be rated T.
1. Prologue

**I know this is another new story, and I'm sorry, but I am working on the others. This is just one of those times when you need to write something because you feel inspired.**

 **I hope you enjoy this story!**

Hiccup the useless, Hiccup the failure, Loki's greatest prank, and Stoick's greatest mistake. These were a few of the names the village people called him on a daily basis. They hurt at first, but now, he didn't care what they said. Hiccup was used to the treatment after the years of verbal, and physical, abuse. His only solace was the small room he had in the forge.

Gobber had given it to him as a way to keep Hiccup out of trouble, then found Hiccup had a knack for drawing and inventing new things. He let the boy work in the forge, and saw he was a fast learner. Hiccup was able to repair weapons and find ways to make them better. The villagers didn't know this, all they cared about is the fact that when Hiccup tried to help them fight dragons, he screwed everything up.

Hiccup figured he had two friends on the island: Gobber and Fishlegs. They were the nicest to him, though Gobber did tease him, and Fishlegs never stood up for him, but they were all he had on the island. There was one person on the island who wasn't a friend or tormentor to him, she talked to him when need be, and ignored him otherwise. Astrid Hofferson, the best fighter of their class, the girl who stole Hiccups heart.

They all live on the Isle of Berk, and are part of the Hairy Hooligans tribe. Their village is close to the sea, with cliffs and beaches on one end, and a forest on the other. Hiccup had explored every inch of the island, it was better than staying around the villagers.

This time was different, Hiccup was searching the woods for something. He wanted to make his Father proud, so he would prove to the villagers that he really shot down the infamous Night Fury. The dragon haunted their nightmares and was considered the worst of them all. At the last raid Hiccup was sure he shot it down, but no one saw him, or believed him. He had almost given up hope, then he found the trail of destruction. Trees were broken and the earth had a deep path carved into it. Hiccup grew excited and followed the path to the end.

He stopped when he spotted the black blob incased in a net. Had he done it, did Hiccup the useless kill the Night Fury? The blob twitched, it wasn't dead yet, Hiccup would have to kill the dragon in person. One look in the dragon's scared eyes stopped him, so instead of killing the dragon, he set it free. This one moment changed his entire way of life.

Hiccup soon learned dragons were not the enemy, but that they could be friends. He never got the chance to teach the others, for Hiccup ran away the day before he was to kill a dragon in dragon training. He knew he could never kill a dragon, and that Berk would never accept the dragons.

His disappearance had a terrible effect on Berk's chief, he sent search parties everywhere. They scoured the island many times, but no one was able to find the young heir. After the third week all the villagers knew it was hopeless, there was no way Hiccup could have survived on the island after so long. After all he was still the weakling they had always seen him as, even if he had become the best at dragon training. Everyone was sure he was eaten during the last raid, so life went on. Eventually Stoick had a pyre for his son and mourned his loss. He vowed to never forgive the dragons that not only took his wife but now his only child too.

Five years after Hiccups disappearance the village was worse than ever. Dragons raided every day, and were more likely to kill villagers. Parents were afraid to let their children outside, and the Vikings barely ever had time to repair the damage done. It looked like soon Berk would be finished, along with its inhabitants.

The only hope was a rumor they heard about a man who was able to stop dragons in their tracks. The rumors said he even road a dragon he'd concurred. So Stoic had the best young fighter and tracker sent out to find this man and bring him back to Berk to stop the dragon attacks.

This is how our story starts, Astrid Hofferson is on a boat to the last village to have seen the mysterious man in hopes of saving her village.


	2. Mysterious Dragon Man

**This is chapter 1, I hope you enjoy the story.**

Astrid stood on the ship's deck, watching her homeland shrink as they sailed away. "Lady Hofferson, it will take at least a week for us to arrive to the destination, please take it easy." One of the ship hands, who only knew Astrid by name, looked upon her as if she were a dainty woman. Astrid rolled her eyes but let the man escort her to the cabin anyway. Astrid was on a merchant's ship, the captain had agreed to take Astrid to Knife Point Island, though she did not know all the details of the agreement.

All she cared for was her mission. Astrid had studied up on the rumors, trying to depict the truth in them. From all over there were tales of a man riding a dragon, helping villages with their dragon problems. Some said he was a wizard who could wield fire, others said he was able to fly like a bird. There was even a rumor about the man talking to dragons. There was one rumor she refused to believe that said the man was friends with the beasts. Dragons were evil creatures, and they could never be trusted. After all, dragons killed someone important to her.

Astrid shook off the memory, "I need fresh air." She muttered. As Astrid reached the deck she noticed the eyes that fell on her. She was used to men looking at her, and knew it was better to ignore them. Though she still felt weirded out when men gazed upon her in such a manor. Astrid was at marrying age, and there were a few suiters who thought they had a chance. Astrid decided she wouldn't marry a man that lost to her in battle, since she threw her love away a long time ago. Astrid shook her head again, looking up at the night sky. "This is going to be a long journey." She sighed and headed back down, making sure to lock her door before settling in.

 **Somewhere on the Forbidden Mountain**

"I heard someone from Berk has been sent to find me, what do you want to do bud?" A man looked at his best friend. The Dragon looked at the man in turn and seemed to be thinking about it.

" _Do you know who it is they sent?"_ The dragon asked. Dragons have their own language, and over the years the man had learned to understand their language, though he still could not speak it.

The man smiled at the dragon, "No, but if it's someone from Berk then it could be fun to mess with them." The man laughed at the thought. He didn't know what he felt for Berk, hatred, remorse, guilt, bitterness? Whatever it was, it was not a positive feeling.

" _Whatever you choose, I'm fine with. Just remember this is someone who knew you, so be careful Hiccup."_ The dragon warned his friend and rider.

Hiccup sighed and nodded in understanding. "I will, thanks Toothless. I want to know what they want in the least." Hiccup decided. "If you feel any threatening vibes, we'll leave and they'll never see us again." Toothless nodded in agreement. "It's been five years bud, I wonder if it's changed any." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless and the two took off towards the small village near the base of the mountain. It had long been abandoned due to the dragons living nearby, but Hiccup chose to make this his home. He'd fixed up the forge, and a house, and when he needed supplies he ventured out to nearby islands.

Hiccup did not stay in the village much, more often than not he was exploring with Toothless. They'd earned money by helping others with their dragon problems and selling items Hiccup created in the forge. He mentally thanked Gobber for the skills he'd learned, they really came in handy.

"We probably have a week until the ship arrives at Knife Point, we'll work on a plan for then." The two shared a smile and went in for the night.

 **On the boat**

After what felt like forever, the boat finally reached its destination. Astrid nearly jumped ship and swam, but waited for the ship to dock before getting off. She hated sailing, and if this trip wasn't so important she would have refused. "Hello there, you must be the young warrior from Berk. I am Chief Ironbull, I hope your journey was good." Astrid shook the Chief's hand. He was a large man with greying hair, he wore an iron helmet with horns and the symbol of a bull was etched into it, the rest of his outfit was made of leather. There was a scar over one of his eyes, and a few scars on his arms. Astrid knew right away this man had seen more years of battles then she had of life.

"Thank you Chief, the trip here was fine. I would like to get started on what I was sent to do." Astrid was hoping to find the mysterious man behind the rumors as soon as she could, every day she was away from Berk was another Raid that threatened to destroy everyone living there. "Is there anyone that dealt with the dragon man personally?"

Ironbull laughed and motioned for Astrid to follow him. She didn't like not getting an answer, but followed the large man without protest. "You have been on a ship for some time, you should eat a proper meal and rest before you start your search." The chief finally spoke as they reached the village, it was beautiful in Astrid's eyes. Unlike her home the climate is warm, this allowed flowers to survive. The homes in the village were built in a similar style to her own, though they had curtains instead of doors, and large windows. Some houses had small gardens in front with flowers Astrid had never seen before. Other houses had small houses in front with birds living in them.

Astrid was blown away by the beauty, this place was nothing like Berk. "Is it true you no longer have a dragon problem?" Astrid asked as Ironbull gave her a tour of the village. She could see the forge off to the side along with a few shops. On the other side were some more shops and a large garden. In front of Astrid stood the Meade hall and farther on was the chief's house.

Speaking of the chief, he had stopped and was talking to woman, she was carrying a baby and seemed to be pregnant with another. "Father, you promised to see your grandson today." The woman scolded Chief Ironbull. Taking a closer look at the two Astrid was able to pick out the similarities. Both had green eyes and black hair, though the chief's was greying.

Ironbull smiled at his daughter and took his grandson from her. "Yes Heather, I know. I was just showing Astrid around. Now that you're here I'll take the tyke and you can show her the rest of the village." Heather grumbled something about always taking on the chief's jobs. "Heather, as future chieftess you must get used to showing important guests around." Ironbull ordered his daughter.

Heather nodded and looked over at Astrid for the first time, then she seemed to grow confused. "Have we met before?" Heather studied Astrid, then shook her head. "No we haven't met, but I know I've seen you somewhere." Heather grabbed Astrid's arm and pulled her towards a house by the chief's.

Astrid pulled out of Heather's grip. "What are you talking about, where are you taking me?" Astrid crossed her arms and shot a glare at the woman before her. "I won't move another step until you answer me."

Heather groaned, "Why do you have to be so difficult?" Astrid shifted her weight and stared on. "Fine, fine. There was a man here before, and he left his journal by mistake. Most of the pages were ripped out, but there were a few pictures left. I think one of those was a picture of you, but I wanted to see whether or not I'm right." Astrid thought about Heather's words and decided it was best to see what she was talking about. Heather smiled at Astrid and quickly dragged her to the house, and up to her room.

Astrid leaned against the doorway as Heather got the book. The two girls headed back to the den and sat down with the book on the small table before them. Heather flipped to the book open and the first thing Astrid noticed was the stubs from where all the pages were ripped out. From the looks of things half the pages had been ripped out. On the first page there was a drawing of an unknown island, it was an aerial view. Flipping the pages Astrid found different drawings of flowers, dragons, and islands. Many of which Astrid had never seen before.

Astrid stopped when she reached a drawing of a girl with an axe. It was her five years ago holding her axe in one hand while the other rested on her hip. She was smiling in the drawing, and her hair seemed to be blowing in the wind. There was so much detail that Astrid felt like she was looking into the past at her old self. "Heather, whose book is this?"

Heather looked at the blonde and at the drawing. She'd been right, she had seen Astrid before in a drawing. "I can't tell you because I don't know. We call him the dragon man, if I'm not mistaken you were sent here to find him right?" Astrid nodded. "I don't know his name, or what he looks like, but he's missing his left leg and he's not your typical Viking." Heather told Astrid everything she remembered about the man.

Astrid had hoped she'd get more to go on but was glad to get some info. "Thank you Heather, I hope I can find him soon. I can't go home until I find him." Astrid said the last part mostly to herself. She shook her head and closed the book. "Your father mentioned food and a place for me to rest." Astrid felt all her fatigue catch up with her, she needed some rest and a proper meal.

Heather stood up from the seat and smiled at Astrid, "You'll stay with me, we have a big house and it's only my husband, my son, and I living here and we have an extra room. As for food, let's head to the Meade hall." The two girls made their way to the Meade hall where Heather took her son back from Ironbull and introduced Astrid to her husband Rodrekr. Astrid got along well with heather and her family, she liked the peaceful attitude of the village. It was nice to be carefree for the night, though as she lay in bed her mind reeled on her mission and if she'd succeed in time.

 **Well I know you're all looking forward to this and I'm sorry I made you wait this long. I'll try to update at least once a week if not more.**


	3. Life or Death, the Dangerous Climb

**I want to thank everyone who's reviewed my story, and for those who are giving suggestions you seem to almost be reading my mind. I'm not going to spoil what happens but some of you are close.**

 **Chapter 2, enjoy!**

 **Knife Point Island**

Astrid had talked to everyone in the village, and they all said the same thing. The dragon man was missing a leg, he hid his face, and he wasn't a normal Viking. When she tried asking where he went, all the villagers gave different answers. He flew into the ocean on his own pair of wings, he rode the night sky into Valhalla, he disappeared in a blast of smoke, and that he never left but instead shifted into someone else.

After nine days of asking questions and searching for a solid lead, Astrid grew frustrated with the dragon man. No one knew where he went, and the only clues she had were what the villagers told her and the book Heather let her borrow. Astrid was mesmerized by the beautiful artwork, there was so much attention to detail. Whoever this man was, he was a wonderful artist.

Astrid traced her fingers over the page with the drawing of her younger self, trying to imagine the face of the man who drew this. Only one face came to mind, but it was impossible, after all he was dead. In moments like these she let her mind wander, it always went to the same place. Astrid thought about him, and how he might look now. She pictured him a few inches taller, but still as scrawny as before. His green eyes slightly covered by his hazel hair, and a warm smile playing across his face. "I miss you, Hiccup."

"Is Hiccup your boyfriend?" Astrid whipped around gripped her axe firmly, ready to attack the intruder. Heather was standing in the doorway with her son, Nikolai, and a curious look on her face. "I'm putting Niki down for a nap, then you'll answer my questions." Heather winked at Astrid then left to the nursery.

Astrid still held her axe, she slowly relaxed and tried to process what had happened. Heather had heard her when she was vulnerable, Astrid had let her guard down and now someone knew her darkest secret.

Heather returned and sat down next to Astrid, noticing the book on the table. "So, how's Hiccup?" Astrid didn't respond, instead she closed the book and held it on her lap. "Astrid, we're friends, you can tell me about your sweetie back home." Heather nudged her friend and gave her a sincere smile.

Astrid felt scared, which is not something she was used to. She was not big on sharing her emotions and thoughts. Heather had become a close friend, better than anyone at Berk was to Astrid. If she was to tell anyone, it would be Heather. "He's not my boyfriend, but he was special to me. Hiccup was the chief's son, but most people didn't like him. He was scrawny compared to the other Vikings, but he was smarter too." Astrid smiled at the memories of him. "Hiccup tried his best, though most of the time he messed up. I always admired his determination, but I never said anything." She smiled when she remembered all the names people called Hiccup. "Hiccup was picked on, especially by his cousin and the other's our age. I didn't stand up for him, I was afraid of what they'd do if I had stopped them."

Heater thought over Astrid's words, she could tell her friend regretted her actions from the past. "Why do you keep using past tense when you talk about him?" Heather knew the news couldn't be good, but she felt like Astrid needed to talk about it.

Astrid felt tears threaten to fall, but refused to cry in front of anyone. "Hiccup… He died five years ago." Heather placed her hand on Astrid's shoulder. The two girls were very much alike, and Heather knew Astrid wouldn't want anyone to see her cry. Heather hugged her friend before leaving her with the excuse of checking on Nikolai.

Astrid closed the door behind Heather and went to sit on her bed. After five years of forcing her emotions down, they refused to be silenced again. Astrid felt the tears slip down her cheeks and fall, the feeling was unusual. Her body shook and the tears fell heavier, Astrid started sobbing. "I'm sorry Hiccup." She cried until her tears stopped and her body just shook. Astrid knew she should have let this pain out sooner, but only now did she realize how much pain it was. She didn't go to dinner that night, instead she fell asleep clutching the book to her chest.

 **Knife Point Coast**

Chief Ironbull sat next to the black dragon and its rider. "She arrived nine days ago, and she has yet to let up in her search." He informed the dragon rider. "The lass has asked everyone in town about three times at least. Per your request, no one tells her where you went." Hiccup frowned, fearing the name he knew would come. "Astrid Hofferson from the Hairy Hooligan tribe. She's a smart girl, and a great fighter. She beat a few of the lads in town who asked to court her, none of them came close. You should step wisely when dealing with her." Ironbull warned his young friend.

The chief was the only person on the island to know what Hiccup looked like. Hiccup trusted him to keep this secret, and in turn Ironbull gained a strong ally and a good friend. "I know of her, I'll be careful. Toothless and I are going to the cave, we'll leave a trail. If she can reach us, then I'll think about helping her." Though his words were calm, Hiccup was panicking. He didn't know what to do if he had to face Astrid of all people. He cursed his luck. "I hope you'll help me set this up." Ironbull smiled and held out his hand, which Hiccup quickly shook.

"First thing in the morning I'll lead the lass here, telling her there's been a sighting, the rest is up to you." Hiccup nodded. He and Toothless said farewell to the old chief and made their way across the beach, making sure to leave a distinct trail up to the cliffs. Then Toothless flew up to a large cave and made fresh claw marks on the opening.

The cave was hard to reach without a dragon, but not impossible. Hiccup hoped Astrid would fail at reaching the cave, and be forced to give up on her search for him. Thinking about her brought back memories he'd rather forget, along with the feelings he thought had died away. Hiccup began to imagine how she may have changed, and what she would think when she met him after all these years.

" _This human female, who is she to you?"_ Toothless was giving him a curious look. _"She is important to you, so I do not understand why you play this game instead of going to her."_ Hiccup felt his face grow warm and turned his back to his scaly friend.

"It's not that simple bud, she's from Berk. She was sent to find us and bring us back there. I can't just walk up to her and say 'Hi Astrid, remember me? I ran away five years ago with my best friend, a Night Fury.' She'd chain me up and drag me back to Berk, then they'd burn me at the stake for treason." So maybe he was exaggerating a little, but Hiccup knew that Astrid would make him go back to Berk one way or another.

" _If she's that much of a threat we could just kill her."_ Toothless could never understand why humans always played games instead of taking action. He could tell Hiccup had mixed feelings about this girl from Berk, but his options were simple: Mate the girl, or kill her.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder and saw Toothless role his eyes. "Things are not that simple, if I kill her I'll have the rest of Berk hunting me down for the rest of my life. Ironbull will be forced to tell them what he knows, nowhere will be safe for us." Hiccup tried explaining it, but Toothless just rolled his eyes and turned away. The dragon heated the ground and laid down, waiting for Hiccup to do the same before drifting off to sleep.

Hiccup stayed awake, watching the fire. In a way Toothless was right, he shouldn't be playing games like this. In truth he knew he should just face Astrid, and that if things went bad he could just leave, but Hiccup was afraid. He was afraid of what would happen if he saw her, afraid of the feelings stirring in his heart, and most of all he was afraid to see the look of betrayal in her eyes when she learned he'd chosen a dragon over Berk. Hiccup knew it would break his heart to see her like that, he'd rather fight the red death alone then see that look on her face. He had a dreamless sleep that night.

Hiccup awoke to the rising sun shining just above the sea. He probably had another few hours until Astrid was put on his trail. So the dragon rider did the one thing he could think of, he took out his journal and drew. He'd lost his old one, but luckily there was nothing in there to reveal who he was, just drawings.

He started drawing the cave opening with the scenery outside of it, and before he could stop himself he drew her sitting at the mouth looking out. He'd drawn her as she was at 15, with her axe on the ground beside her and her braid down her back. Hiccup stared at the drawing for a while, this wasn't the first time he'd drawn her into his work. Though it had been some time since he'd last drawn her, almost two years. He thought that meant he was over her, looks like he was wrong.

A soft growl behind him let him know Toothless was awake and hungry. "We'll have to be quick bud, so make sure you get your breakfast to go." Toothless ignored him and sauntered over to the entrance. "Hey wait for me." Hiccup stood up and walked up to the dragon who was anxiously waiting to go catch breakfast. Once Hiccup was on Toothless the dragon leapt out of the cave and nosedived toward the ocean. This was a normal maneuver for the duo, and they easily swooped down upon their prey. Toothless made sure to grab enough fish to share with his rider before they went back to the cave to eat.

Once they were done breakfast, and the fire was put out, they waited. Toothless grew bored quickly, while Hiccup leaned against him and drew. The dragon looked at the page and saw the familiar image of the girl Hiccup often drew. _"Is she the girl who you're playing this silly game with?"_ Toothless got his answer when Hiccup slammed his journal shut and his face grew flush. _"I see, so she is the girl you fancy."_ The dragon teased his friend.

Hiccup looked for any way to distract his dragon friend, but to no avail. In the end he was forced to answer, "I liked her a long time ago, I don't know what I feel know."

Toothless knew his friend spoke the truth, but before he could ask more the dragon was distracted by the sound of someone approaching. _"She's on her way."_

 **Knife Point Island**

Astrid had awoken just after sunrise, her stomach complaining. She dressed quickly and redid her intricate braid, then headed to the Meade hall for breakfast. As she entered she noticed a lack of people, this was odd but she let it slide. Her main focus on betting something to quiet her belly. She'd just sat down when someone approached her, looking up she saw the chief. "Good morning Astrid, hope you slept alright. I have new news about the dragon man, he was spotted this morning. Seems he made a stop here last night and is staying in a cave on the cliffs." Astrid nearly dropped the cup of water she'd been holding. She quickly finished her meal and followed Ironbull out to the coast.

As they reached the sandy beach Astrid noticed the trail that was defiantly left by a dragon. The trail headed to the cliffs where it seems to have flown up to a cave above. The cliffs themselves were jagged and dangerous, they jetted out like the end of a knife. These cliffs were what gave the Island its name, and were not easily climbed. Astrid knew if she miss stepped while climbing up, she'd lose her life. That was just a risk she'd have to take in order to save her home.

Ironbull saw the determination in Astrid's eyes, and couldn't help but smile. "It won't be easy, but I'm sure you can do it. Just remember, the man up there has a dragon. Even if you don't see it, that dragon is always watching, be careful." Astrid thanked him for the advice and headed for the cliff. There were a number of caves, and the dragon man could be hiding in any one of them.

Astrid looked at each one until she found her mark. One cave had dragon claw marks around the mouth. Most likely the dragon man knew she was looking for him and wanted to taunt her. The cave happened to be one of the highest ones, and also the hardest to get to. The cliffs jetted out at an angle and the cave was at the section where it jetted out the most.

For Astrid to be able to climb this she'd need to leave her axe behind, it would only weigh her down. She gingerly placed the axe on the sand and began her climb. The first 20 feet were easy, but as she got higher the cliff sloped more. This slowed her down, but she refused to give in. After what felt like eternity she'd reached a small cave, it was about one third of the way to her destination. She let herself rest and inspected her hands. The sharp rock ledges had sliced them up, and she was sure she'd left a trail of blood up to this point. Astrid couldn't give in now, Berk was counting on her. She'd been gone for so long, who knew what could have happened by now.

The thought of her going back and finding Berk burned to the ground reenergized her. She left the cave and continued her journey, it was noon by the time she had reached another cave. This one was large, and had a fresh water stream running out of it and into the ocean. The water had caused the rocks to grow slippery and she'd nearly fallen multiple times. Astrid needed to rest and clean her wounds before she could venture on.

She used the small spring to clean the dirt and rocks from her bloodied hands and inspected the wounds on them. Her left hand had mostly small cuts and scratches while her right hand had a gash across her palm and some cuts on her fingers. Astrid took the small bag Gothi had given her before she left and let its contents spill on the cave floor. She had some bandages and a little container that she guessed was healing herbs. She sent a silent thank you to the old healer and began tending to her more serious wounds. Once they were bandaged and the medical supplies were back in their bag, she exited the cave and continued her climb.

Astrid was tired, her body begged her to stop climbing, but she ignored it. She forced herself to focus on her goal. The cave was so close, just another 30 feet or so and she'd reach it. Her pace was a fraction of what it was when she started, and the sun had begun to set. The air was cool, and the rocks grew slick with dew.

A curious pair of eyes watched her climb, wondering if she'd make it. Toothless was impressed the girl had made it this far, and he could smell her blood mixed with herbs. His rider refused to watch the progress, though Toothless couldn't understand why. Hiccup had decided on this game, the least he could do was see if the girl would pass or fail. _"She's almost here."_ The dragon informed his friend.

In her weary state Astrid slipped, falling a good ten feet before she caught herself. Her body had slammed into the rocks when she grabbed onto the edge, and despite herself she cried out in pain. She could feel the blood running down her wrist from her hand, and more beginning to run down from various wounds she'd just received. The pain however came from her shoulder, which had received the blunt of the blow. There were shooting pains all down her arm and she could barely move it, most likely she'd dislocated it.

She hated the thought of what she'd have to do next, but there was no other choice. Astrid had to pop her arm back into place on her own. She pulled herself up onto the ledge she'd grabbed onto and then shifted so her bad arm faced the wall. She positioned her arm jut right and then slammed herself against the jagged rocks. Her arm snapped into place and the pain sent her to her knees. The arm was bruised and there was blood staining her skin. She knew there were bruises on her legs, as well as some cuts and scratches. Her cheek was wet and sticky from her face hitting the wall when she popped her arm into place. In other words Astrid looked, and felt, like yak shit.

She wanted to give up and go back, but she knew if she turned back now she'd never be able to face her people again. Astrid needed to rest though, she couldn't climb the last 40 feet in her current state. So the stubborn Viking girl hunkered in for the night.

Up above two pairs of eyes watched her drift to sleep, one set filled with relief, the other filled with astonishment. Hiccup had rushed to the cave edge the second he heard Astrid cry out. When he saw her dangling from a ledge he almost jumped out of the cave to help her, but Toothless stopped him. The dragon knew Hiccup would rush to the girl's aid, but wouldn't let him. There was a fire in the girl, and Toothless knew she'd make it to their cave, they just needed to wait. If it looked like she would fall to her death Toothless would jump after her. He liked this human girl, she was rather interesting, and his best friend fancied her. Toothless had to applaud Hiccup's good taste in a mate.

After watching to make sure she was asleep Hiccup and Toothless went out to get their dinner, and then settled in for the night as well. The dragon stayed by the mouth of the cave to watch over the sleeping girl below.

 **I'm ending things here, hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	4. Running Again

**Happy Fourth of July!**

 **Here's the next instalment, I hope you all like it!**

 **Cliff's Edge**

Astrid stirred as the birds began to chirp, the sun was just beginning to rise and everything was a dark blue color. She was confused by her surroundings, but the pain she felt as she sat up reminded her. She still needed to climb to the cave above, though she felt weak from blood loss. There was a small dried puddle on the ground around her and blood stained her clothing, causing it to stick to her skin. Some of her hair had matted to the cut on her cheek, and the skin there felt swollen and bruised.

Astrid Had another 40 feet to climb, and she wasn't sure if she'd make it, but the longer she sat around doing nothing, the worse things would get. So she mustered up all her strength and began climbing again. Her movements were slow and her body was sluggish, it probably took her two hours to climb the last bit in her condition, but finally she reached the cave opening. Astrid pulled herself up into the cave and cheered before exhaustion caught up with her and she blacked out.

Toothless caught her before she hit the cave floor and carried her farther into the cave. _"She needs to be healed, she reeks of blood. We should take her to the village healer."_ Hiccup was barely paying attention to what Toothless said. His eyes took in Astrid's bloodied and bruised frame, she looked so weak, and yet she'd managed to reach the cave. _"Hiccup, if we don't take her to a healer she'll die."_ This snapped Hiccup out of his thoughts and he realized Toothless was right, they needed to hurry. Hiccup mounted Toothless with Astrid cradled in his arms. They took off and Toothless was careful not to fly at his usual speed.

They landed outside the healers hut and Hiccup carried Astrid inside. When he told the healer what happened she smacked him once and then turned to Astrid. The healer told Hiccup to wait outside while she treated Astrid's wounds and Hiccup obliged. He waited just outside the door until the healer called him back in.

"The girl will be fine, but the two of you are fools. Her for risking her life like that and you for making her risk her life. I know she was looking for you, and you knew as well. You're lucky she did not die Dragon man." The healer chastised Hiccup. "She needs to rest so her body can heal, take her to the chief's daughter. They will watch over her until she is better." Hiccup didn't argue with the healer, he just thanked her for helping Astrid. He picked up said girl and carried her out of the healer's hut where Toothless sat waiting. People had gathered at the sight of the familiar dragon and gasped when they saw Hiccup carrying Astrid.

Some asked questions, others merely murmured to each other, Hiccup ignored it all and took Astrid to Heather's house. Rodrekr answered the door and quickly moved aside when He saw the dragon man holding the injured Viking. Hiccup explained what the healer had said and Rodrekr lead him to her room. Heather was at her bedroom door when she saw Astrid. She rushed to her friend and asked what had happened. Hiccup told her to wait until they'd left Astrid's room and he'd tell her.

As soon as the doors closed Heather started with her questions. "What happened, why are you bringing her in like that, did you hurt her?" Heather felt anger, fear, and relief. She had been worried when Astrid didn't return the night before, but now she feared for her friend's life and was angry at the thought of someone hurting Astrid. "Answer me, what happened?"

Hiccup had never seen the chief's daughter so angry before, it reminded him of Astrid. "She was climbing he cliffs to get to me." Was the only explanation he gave, "I'll be back later, please watch over her." Hiccup left without waiting for a reply. He knew Heather would care for Astrid while he was gone.

Once he was outside he mounted Toothless and headed back to the beach below the cliffs. He knew Astrid had left her axe there, and that it was important to her. Her axe had been a gift from her father, it was a family heirloom and she always took good care of it. He knew all this because he was the one to fix it up before Astrid's father gave it to her.

The glint of metal caught his eye and he and Toothless landed near it. Hiccup found the axe and was careful when picking it up, it was lighter then he remembered. Then he realized the weapon wasn't lighter, he'd just become stronger. He gripped he handle and held the axe with ease, he really had changed in the past five years.

Before he delivered the axe Toothless made him stop to get something to eat. The dragon had refused to move another step unless he was promised breakfast before anything else. After all he had only waited this long because Astrid was so severely injured.

Once the dragon was fed he happily flew back to the village. Hiccup noticed the people staring at him, some waving and cheering. Hiccup almost forgot that not too long ago he'd led the dragons of this island to his island. There was plenty of food there and the dragons were free to roam in peace.

He saw the chief at his daughter's hut, waiting outside, most likely for Hiccup to return. When they landed Hiccup hesitated getting off Toothless, fearing what the chief might do. He shook that feeling away and climbed down from the dragon.

Ironbull approached the two with a stern look, "My boy the next time you want to test someone, try something less dangerous." He then smiled, "I knew she'd make it, though I had hoped she would remain uninjured while doing so." Ironbull patted Hiccup on the back, partly pushing him towards the door. "She's still asleep, but I think you should go see her. After all you're the reason she's in that condition." Hiccup nodded and went inside where Rodrekr greeted him with a wary look.

"He's returned I see, Father said you'd return soon." Heather had her arms crossed and was shooting a glare at Hiccup. "I suppose you want to see her, I can't stop you, but if you hurt her I'll hunt you down and kill you." She threatened him. Hiccup knew she'd keep her word, but didn't mind one bit. He was glad Astrid had someone that cared about her so much.

He made his way to the room he'd placed her in before, she was still lying in the bed but the covers had been drawn over her. There was a chair and table in the room, he placed her axe on the table and brought the chair near the bed. "I'm sorry this happened Astrid, I didn't want to see you, so I tried making you leave. I was an idiot, I should have known that you'd risk your life for a mission." He sighed and looked at her bruised face. "I just can't go back to Berk, I'm sorry."

Hiccup looked around and saw a familiar book lying on the bed beside her. He picked it up and noticed a bookmark sticking out. He turned to that page and froze, there was a picture he'd drawn of her after he'd left Berk. It was the first one he'd ever drawn, and he was proud of how realistic it had turned out. Why did Astrid have this book, and why was that picture bookmarked?

The girl beside him moved and reached her hand out to where the book had been. He put it back and watched as her hand grasped it and pulled it close. "Hiccup." She mumbled. Hiccup jumped to his feet, afraid his cover had been blown, only to realize she was sound asleep.

He made his decision then, it was too dangerous for him to stay around her. So he wrote a note for her and slipped it into the book where her picture was. He knew she'd find it eventually, "I hope one day I can talk to you for real." He whispered to her before leaving the island for good.

 **Three Days Later**

Astrid felt stiff as she woke up. Her body ached, and she could feel the bandaged on her skin. Her stomach growled, and her eyes stung as she opened them to the harsh noon light. She was using her left arm to prop herself up, and her other arm was in a sling. She noticed the book beside her in the bed and went to pick it up when a note fell out. Curious she grabbed the note and opened it.

Astrid Hofferson,

I know you're looking for me, but these injuries should be enough to tell you I don't want to be found. I don't know if you're brave or just plain idiotic, but you should be smart enough to stop looking for me. I hope one day we can converse freely.

Yours truly,

The dragon man.

Astrid crumpled the paper in her hand and threw it across the room. After all she went through to see him, he has the nerve to leave her there without even hearing what she has to say! She was fuming with anger, the next time she found the dragon man she'd punch him and his damn dragon! How could they leave? She'd almost died trying to reach him, and all he did was leave a stupid note. Astrid was not giving up, if anything this just fueled her need to find him.

She still needed to heal, but after another four days she was ready to start searching again. Chief Ironbull decided to give Astrid the location of the dragon man, telling her that she deserved answers to the questions she had. He arranged a ship to take her to his island, and as soon as it was ready they set sail.

The journey took another two days before the island came in sight. Astrid had been away from her home for a month, and she started to fear the worst. She couldn't let that stop her though, she needed to get the dragon man's help to save what was left of Berk.

"We'll dock in another few moments, the path from the dock leads straight to the village, be careful though, dragons wander that island." The ship captain warned Astrid as they grew closer. She didn't care if there were dragons, she'd find the dragon man even if she had to fight thousands of those over grown lizards.

 **Abandoned Village**

Toothless looked up from his meal, listening carefully. _"A ship has docked, only one person is getting off it."_ He told his companion. Hiccup didn't say anything, just sighed and stood up. _"It's her most likely, I can't pick up a smell from this distance but I'm sure it's her."_ Hiccup nodded, he knew this would happen sooner or later, he just rather it be later.

"Finish your meal bud, we'll head to the mountain afterwards and hide out there, she'll have to give up eventually. Once she does we'll come back, and life can go on." Toothless rolled his eyes at this. Humans were so strange, it's obvious to him that Hiccup wants to go see the girl, but instead he decides to play cat and mouse with her.

Toothless started to pick up her scent, there was a small amount of blood in it. She must not have let her wounds heal properly before making this journey. _"It would be best to just confront here."_ Hiccup ignored him and started packing his stuff. Well Toothless tried, if his human wouldn't listen to him then all he could do was wait. The girl was likely to draw all kids of attention with the scent of blood coming from her. Toothless would try and help her if need be, after all this human was very interesting.

 **Well I pulled an all-nighter but I was able to finish this chapter so it's worth it. Happy Fourth of July Everyone!**


	5. Determination

**Thank you all for your support, here's the next chapter!**

 **Broken Dock**

Astrid could tell this place had long since been abandoned, the dock had holes and the one small boat was half sinking into the ocean. She had to watch her step as she crossed the dock and she nearly fell into the ocean. Once she reached the beach she looked back and saw the ship was sailing away. There was no turning back now, all she could do was follow the path up to the village like the captain had told her. The island had a fog surrounding it, coloring the world a dull grey. There was very little noise, just the roar of the ocean and the sound of her steps. This place made Astrid feel alone, like a lost child.

She was trying to make out the path and didn't notice a large rock jetting out of the ground. Astrid fell and reopened the gash on her hand. She didn't have the supplies to clean the wound, so she wiped it on her shirt and continued along the path. After 15 minutes of walking Astrid finally saw the village. She had gotten lost on the way and it took her a little bit to find the path again, but she was so relieved when she finally made it.

The captain had called this the lost village because everyone who once lived here was chased away by the dragons long ago. There were obvious scorch marks on some huts, while others had been demolished all together. One of the houses seemed to be in great shape though, and Astrid knew that was where the Dragon man lived. The thought of finally getting to see him and make him pay for leaving like he did excited her.

She marched up to the door and kicked it open, only to find the place was empty. The fire pit had a few dying embers and Astrid fell to her knees in front of it. He'd knew she was coming, and he'd gotten away again! This was so frustrating, how was she supposed to catch someone who could sense her coming and fly away?

The dragon was probably the on who'd sensed her, and now Astrid had no clues as to the dragon man's whereabouts. She couldn't go back to Berk, and the ship that had brought her was long gone. All she could do was make camp and hope for some sign.

She rebuilt the fire, and found some food and bandages, along with clean water. She treated her wounds and ate her meal before exploring the house. This was probably once the chief's house, for it was the biggest one of them all. There were three bedrooms, though two had been turned into storage rooms. The third had a bed pushed against the wall and a slab of stone on the floor with scorch marks. There was a desk and a few books and loose paper scattered on the floor. It was a tad messy, but Astrid easily cleaned them up and placed them on the desk.

It was hard to make out the time for the sun was hidden behind fog, but Astrid figured she had time to explore around the village and look for clues. The village was still, almost surreal. There were some birds here and there, the kept their distance from the Viking girl as she searched. In the end she found nothing to point to where the dragon man had gone.

The fog lifted enough for Astrid to make out the lay of the land. The ocean was in front of the village, and a large mountain stood behind it. If she had to guess, the dragon man was hiding somewhere on that mountain. There was no way for her to reach it before sundown, so she instead went back to the large house and made a plan.

 **Forbidden Mountain**

Toothless felt agitated towards his rider, why did his human insist on continuing this game? The girl had more than proven herself, the least they could do was listen to her request. Hiccup had said they'd wait her out; that the girl would eventually give up and go home. The dragon felt his rider was mistaken, the girl had shown her soberness and would probably come after them. He would not let his rider leave this time, he'd make Hiccup face the girl.

That being said, he just hoped she could survive the journey without getting attacked by dragons. Toothless had threatened a few dragons on the way to the mountain, letting them know if they harm the girl they'd have to deal with him. Some of them backed down, but there were a few he knew might try anyway.

The girl was smart, she'd been trained to fight dragons, but these were dragons she'd never met before. They were dangerous, and she'd be severely injured, if not killed, in battle with them. _"We should go and see her before she decides to come to us. You're not a fool Hiccup, she will come and you know it."_ The dragon tried again to reason with his stubborn friend.

Hiccup looked up from the journal and sighed. "I have to believe she'll leave bud, it's better for everyone if she just gives up." He was worried too. Hiccup knew Astrid was strong and could handle herself, but she's also injured. Dragons are dangerous, and if they pick up the scent of blood she could be is serious trouble. She would be safe inside their house, Toothless's scent would mask her own. If she ventured too far though she could be killed.

The fog would be gone tomorrow, Hiccup was certain of that. He knew Astrid would use this opportunity to come after him, so he'd wrote a message for her and hoped she'd take the threat seriously. "Let's go Bud, this should keep her away." Hiccup grabbed a bow and arrow and climbed onto Toothless. He then tied the note to the arrow, and once they were close enough he shot it at the large wooden door. "Please Astrid, take the warning and leave." He called out, knowing she'd never hear him.

The duo flew back to the mountain and settled into their cave. Toothless still didn't understand what his human was doing, but decided it was best to just go along. Humans were so complicated, and they had weird ways of going about simple things. One day he hoped to understand why, but today was not that day.

The sun had set and the moon was black so the stars lit up the sky. Hiccup prayed to all the gods that Astrid would leave this island and stop her search for good. He didn't want her to hurt, but he was afraid of facing her. He was acting like a coward, and he didn't care.

 **Hiccup's House**

Astrid was putting more wood on the fire when she heard the distinct 'thunk' of metal hitting wood. She cautiously approached the door and opened it, noticing the arrow. She looked around, but couldn't spot anyone one, so she guessed the dragon man was trying to scare her. She pulled the arrow from the door and turned her attention to the paper tied loosely to said object.

It was another note from the dragon man, she easily recognized his hand writing, and grew furious at his cowardly acts.

Astrid,

It seems you really are an annoying fool. If you do not leave this island and give up your search I will not guarantee your safety. This is no place for a Viking, if you continue on here, the dragons will kill you. Go home to Berk, and live out the rest of your life while you still can. This is your last warning, if I see you again I will not spare your life.

Sincerely yours,

Dragon Man

Astrid ripped up the threatening note and threw the pieces in the fire. This would not scare her, it only encouraged her. She could tell the dragon man was afraid of her, and so she would not back down now. If he wanted a fight, he'd get a fight. She'd drag his half dead body back to Berk and force him to help them. "Just you wait Dragon Man, you're in for a big surprise." Astrid bandaged her wounds again and got her things ready for the long journey ahead.

 **There you go.**


	6. Hiccup!

**I'm sorry for the long wait, I didn't have internet for a long time there, just got it back today. Please enjoy the story.**

 **Hiccup**

He paced in front of the cave opening, wondering if his threat was effective enough to scare the girl away. He knew deep down it didn't, but a part of him still held onto the hope. She'd be safer if she left, but if she came he'd be forced to face her. He sighed and Toothless rolled over to look at him, the dragon had an annoyed look on his face. _"She's going to come, you knew it all along. After all this, a threat only makes her more determined. You're smarter than this Hiccup, you should focus what you'll say to her instead."_ Hiccup blushed and started pacing again. _"I will never understand humans."_

 **Astrid**

She marched along the rocky path that led up to the mountain, her blonde braid bouncing against her back. She had on a fur coat and a bag slung over her shoulder. There was no turning back from this point on, Astrid would rather die than give up.

She reached the mountain without trouble, the fog was gone and she could see all around her. There was evidence of dragons, though she had yet to see any. Her hands tingled with anticipation for the climb, though they had not fully healed yet. Astrid was excited, she was finally going to find the dragon man and talk to him face to face.

After a quick lunch break Astrid was ready to climb the mountain. It would be easier for the most part, the mountain didn't have jagged ledges like the cliff, and there were plenty of flat surfaces in case she needed to take a break.

She started climbing the mountain when the sun touched the mountain peak. Her body ached and complained as she push forward, at some point her hands grew slick with blood. Astrid ignored this and climbed higher, she was determined to find the dragon man before the night was over. Darkness had fallen and with it the sounds of dragons filled the air. She knew the smell of blood would attract them, but that didn't shake her. The fear empowered her to move on and reach her goal.

Looking up Astrid could finally see the light of a fire coming from a cave: that was her destination. "Almost there!" She cheered gleefully. She took a small break, using the supplies she'd brought she ate and cleaned up her hands. When the bandages were set, and her stomach quieted, Astrid began the rest of her climb. She felt a burst of energy renew her as the thought of finally reaching the dragon man filled her head.

The cave was higher than she had first thought, and the climb took longer. Finally she was able to reach the cave. Astrid fell to her knees, her entire body was numb. She looked around the cave and saw the fire, behind it was a figure of a man, and a large black lump. Her eyes had yet to adjust to the light of the fire, and as they did she focused on the black lump which was moving. She noticed bright green eyes and a toothless smile. The black lump must be the dragon she heard was tamed by the dragon man. "I finally found you, you can't run anymore." Astrid tried to stand but only managed to stumble and fall back to her knees.

She was exhausted, but didn't want to repeat what happened last time she'd caught up with him. "Relax Astrid, you need sleep. I promise to be here when you wake up." The dragon man sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Astrid nodded at his words and before she knew it she'd fallen asleep.

Hiccup caught her and pulled her into his arms, Astrid was lighter then he imagined for a warrior of her stature. She was also as stubborn and reckless as he remembered. He carefully placed her on his bed of furs and sat down by the fire. "Looks like you were right bud, she came and now I have to face her." Hiccup leaned against toothless and relaxed, he felt sleep call to him. "Keep watch for a while bud, I need some shut eye."

" _I won't be able to sleep anyway, the others want to find the source of the blood, so they're too loud tonight."_ Toothless sounded irritated, but Hiccup could understand, he came from a Viking tribe after all.

The dragon rider fell asleep while Toothless kept watch, at one point the dragon gave a warning growl to a few curious terrible terrors who got too close, the other dragons stayed away. Toothless worried that the stench of blood would call to the more dangerous dragons on their island, but it seemed they either could not smell it over his scent, or they didn't care.

When the sun was visible in the sky Toothless woke his sleeping rider. The dragon wanted to fly and get breakfast. Hiccup gladly agreed to a flight and the two were out of the cave in seconds. Astrid was left sleeping by the dying fire, though she arose shortly after to an empty cave.

She felt cheated, it seemed as if the dragon man had flown off into the night, leaving her in the cave. She had trusted him to be there when she woke up, but now he was nowhere to be found. Anger filled Astrid at the thought of him leaving once again. She was mad at the dragon man, and she was mad at herself for trusting him. As she looked around the darkened cave she noticed a journal, much like the one the dragon man had left at Knife Point. Curiosity engulfed all her other emotions and she couldn't help herself. She grabbed the book and sat it on her lap, maybe, just maybe there'd be a clue to who the dragon man really was.

The journal was bound in a simple brown leather, though the cover had a black dragon outline. Astrid guessed it to be an image of the dragon man's personal dragon. On the first page was a map of what she guessed was the island she was on now. There was an 'x' on the village and a circle on the mountain where the cave was located. Like all the island sketches in the other journal, it was an aerial view. She went on through the pages: dragons, islands, people, and weird inventions. "Hiccup… This guy reminds me of you." Astrid felt her eyes tear up, but she refused to let anything slip. She continued flipping through the journal until she found actual pages of writing.

'I sometimes miss my old home, there were people I liked, and I wish I could see them again. Life wasn't easy on my own, but Toothless has protected me and helped me grow. I miss her most of all, though at the same time I don't miss my family. Well things will get better, memories will fade.'

-H

'She's still on my mind. Even after all this time I find myself thinking about her. A girl in the last village I helped really reminded me of her. Toothless tells me to either move on or go back and see her again.'

-H

'I saw her today, though it was only for a moment. She's changed so much from the girl I knew all those years ago. Toothless says I'm impossible to live with now.'

-H

Flapping alerted Astrid to an incoming dragon. She closed the journal and jumped to her feet, only to fall backwards when a dragon bumped into her. The dragon was black with bright green eyes, it was the dragon from last night. It placed its paw on Astrid, pinning her down to the cold stone ground. She squirmed and tried to free herself but the dragon growled and she froze. "Toothless, let her up bud."

That voice, like a flash from the past. Any tears she had held back before fell from her eyes. Astrid covered her eyes with her fists and tried to hold back her sobs. "You're just like him… why…" She heard the clang of metal hitting stone, the footsteps came closer one thump followed by a clang. She could feel the presence next to her, and then a hand touched her wrist, pulling her hand away from her face.

The figure kneeling next to her had on weird helmet that covered his face, all she could make out were his sad green eyes staring down at her. "I never thought I'd see you cry." He helped her sit up and went to get breakfast started. "I hope you don't mind fish." Astrid watched him skewer the fish and set them to roast by the fire. She remembered the dragon and turned to see it eating its own breakfast. She scooted away from the dragon and bumped into the cave wall. "You don't have to be afraid of Toothless, he's harmless unless you attack first."

Astrid looked at the dragon man, in the journal he'd mentioned Toothless she just didn't realize that was the dragon. "I can't believe that, for as long as I can remember dragons have attacked my home and killed my people. There were so few when I left, for all I know everyone could be dead." Astrid watched the fire, it reminded her of her village being burnt down building by building.

Hiccup remained silent, he was unsure what to say or do. So far he'd seen her bloody and bruised, crying, and now she seemed lost. Toothless looked up at him, having finished eating his fish. The dragon seemed saddened by Astrid's words. _"Hiccup, tell her who you are. She'll find out eventually, it's better to tell her now."_

Hiccup knew Toothless was right, Astrid would be furious if he didn't reveal himself now. "After breakfast bud." The dragon gave a nod and went to watch the sky for any unfriendly dragons. "You came a long way, and went through so much to find me, why?"

Astrid looked at the dragon man, she felt relaxed around him. Something in the back of her head was telling her she knew him, that this was Hiccup. "You can't be him… He's dead." She mumbled to herself but he heard her words anyway. Before he could ask what she meant Astrid answered his question. "I was sent to find you, and hopefully bring you back to save my people. The dragons have been raiding every day, we no longer have time to repair our buildings. We heard of a man who could stop the dragons, and so my chief sent me to find you. I was told not to return until you agreed to come back."

Hiccup was surprised, the fact that they would send Astrid away and tell her not to return without him meant that things on Berk were dire. "I will consider your request, but first we should eat and then… we'll talk more." He saw hope fill her eyes at his words, and it hurt him to think he would crush it by refusing to go back. The fish was done cooking so he gave Astrid hers and they silently ate breakfast.

When everything was cleaned up the two sat by the fire, waiting for the other to say something. Toothless had decided to curl up behind Hiccup, and though Astrid didn't trust the dragon, she found herself trusting the rider. They seemed to get along well, and so she would give the dragon the benefit of the doubt. "You remind me of him…" She spoke suddenly, though she couldn't understand why, Astrid felt compelled to tell him. "He was an inventor, and he was different from the others."

Hiccup stopped her there, "Astrid, please understand." She looked at him curiously, though there was a hint of doubt. "I can't go to Berk, I'm sorry but I can't help you. The people there wouldn't accept my help anyway."

She was furious now, "You have no idea how wrong you are! You're the only hope we have left, if you don't help us then everyone there will die!" Astrid turned away from Hiccup and walked to the edge of the cave.

Hiccup wanted to explain why but was stopped in his tracks when Toothless jumped up and growled. A nadder grabbed Astrid and flew off. Hiccup ran to the cave entrance and could hear her screams, but he lost sight of the dragon. If he didn't act fast Astrid would be killed.

 **Well that's that. Sorry it's been so long.**


	7. The New Rider

**Hey guys! So I bet you're wondering what happened to Astrid right? Well, read and find out!**

 **Toothless POV**

Why are humans so difficult? First they were happy, then they became angry, and then the female was sad, and Hiccup was confused. I had been so caught up in them that I didn't notice the other dragon until it was too late. The female human was snatched away by the nadder, and before we could go after them, they were gone.

Hiccup was ready to jump but I stopped him and we flew off into the sky. I could hear the human's screams and darted towards them. Hiccup cared for her, and she cared for him, so she was important too. As we got closer to the source, the screaming stopped. Hiccup grew scared, but I knew the girl was fine, there was no scent of blood.

I could smell the human's scent and landed near the cave entrance. This was most likely the nadder's den, and we should proceed with cation. I turned to Hiccup but he had other plans, my human rider ran in the cave yelling for the female. Why are humans so difficult?

 **Astrid**

Astrid had stopped screaming when the nadder dropped her. She didn't care anymore, everyone from Berk was going to die, and she just wanted all the pain to end. Her trip away from home had been filled with tears, and that wasn't her. Astrid didn't cry, she didn't let her emotions take over. All she wanted was to die and be with her family in Valhalla. She waited for the blow, but it never came, only a soft chirping.

She opened her eyes and noticed the nadder was lying down, just staring at her. Confused and wary, Astrid stood. The nadder's eyes followed her, but otherwise the dragon stayed still. She took a step towards the exit, but the dragon flicked her to the ground with its tail. "Ugh, why did you even bring me here?" The dragon cocked its head at her. Astrid was weaponless, and the dragon didn't want her to leave. All she could do was sit there and wait for something to happen.

"ASTRID!" The dragon perked up and looked towards the cave opening. There was the sound of running, though it was the thump clang from before. "ASTRID WHERE ARE YOU?" The dragon growled and curled around Astrid, causing the girl to tense up.

Hiccup made it to where Astrid and the dragon were. He froze when he saw the dragon curled around her. He noticed she was staring at him like she'd seen a ghost, that's when he remembered he'd lost his helmet. "Hiccup?"

"Astrid, stay calm, I'll explain this later." Hiccup held his hand out to the dragon, trying to keep it calm, and maybe tame it.

The dragon pulled Astrid away from Hiccup, _"Go away. I have claimed this human as mine. Leave with the Night Fury, Dragon Rider. This doesn't concern you."_ He was surprised by the Nadder's actions, it was rare for dragons to claim humans as their own.

Toothless pushed Hiccup to the side and confronted the Nadder. _"Give us back the girl, she is my human's mate. We mean you no harm, just release her and we will leave you be."_ Hiccup blushed and looked at Astrid, glad she couldn't understand the dragons' words. She looked confused, and a tad frightened, though he didn't blame her.

" _I care not Night Fury, I have watched this human since she arrived on our island. I want her, she's strong and full of courage. You have that human, let me have this one."_ Toothless thought of something the Nadder might agree with.

" _We'll let the girl decide who she goes with."_ The nadder cocked her head, thinking it over before nodding and releasing Astrid.

"What's going on?" Astrid looked to Hiccup for some sort of answer.

Hiccup gulped, hoping she would believe him. "You have to decide whether you leave with us or stay with the Nadder. She's become interested in you." Astrid looked at the Nadder behind her, then back at Hiccup. "There is another option Astrid, but you'd have to be willing to become a rider."

"A rider, as in I'd fly a dragon?" Hiccup nodded. Astrid was going to refuse, but she realized this was her only chance to get Hiccup to Berk. "Will you save Berk if I agree to become a rider?"

Hiccup knew he couldn't refuse, not when it he could teach someone to trust dragons like he did. "I will." Astrid smiled at her small victory. "Take your hand hold it out in front of the Nadder, then look away and let her warm up to you." Astrid took a deep breath and did as she was told. She was surprised when she felt the cool scales press against her hand. She looked back at the Nadder and felt a connection. "Now give her a name."

Only one thing seemed to fit the beautiful creature who had snatched her from the cliffs. "Stormfly." The dragon crooned as I approving the name. For a moment Astrid couldn't remember why she would ever hate such a beautiful creature.

"Now you need to ride her so we can fly to Berk." Astrid grew wary again, she remembered that dragons were the reason she was here to find the dragon man, who turned out to be the very not dead Hiccup. Astrid was sure Loki was laughing at her now. "She will keep you safe, just relax and trust in her. Climb on her back when you're ready to go."

Astrid still felt like she was being tricked, but climbed upon Stormfly without question. Hiccup planted himself on Toothless's saddle and the four were off. Astrid looked to him as the dragons flew out of the cave. He was right, Stormfly was very careful so to make sure her rider didn't fall.

 **In The Sky**

Hiccup enjoyed the flight, it was strange sharing this with another human. Astrid was a fast learner, and seemed to easily maneuver Stormfly. He and toothless started out slow so they could watch the other two, but now they lead the way to Knife Point Island. Hiccup wanted to resupply before the long flight to Berk, and Astrid happily agreed. He learned she and Heather had become fast friends, and this didn't surprise him in the least.

They landed on the beach, near the cliff Astrid had climbed previously to reach Hiccup. He tensed at the thought of her bloody and bruised form falling forward towards the stone floor of the cave. He ended up throwing away the armor he'd had on because it was covered in her blood. The thought sickened him, it was his fault she'd been injured.

"Hiccup, earth to Hiccup." Astrid waved her hand in front of his face, finally gaining his attention. "Are you coming? We need to get the supplies, I'm worried about Berk." Hiccup nodded, snapping back to the problem at hand. Though he didn't want to go back to Berk, he couldn't go back on his word now. "I'm going to see Heather, I want to let her know I'm okay. Make sure you get the supplies and meet me there."

Hiccup agreed with this and the two made their way into town. The dragons were left to find their own food and rest while the humans were gone.

Astrid headed straight for Heather's house and knocked on the door. Rodrekr answered the door and smiled at her, "Heather's with Nikolai, why don't you go surprise her." Astrid laughed and headed up to Nikolai's room.

Astrid leaned against the door and watched her friend lay her son down for a nap. "Soon it won't be that easy, soon he'll know how to get out of bed."

"Yeah, but for now I'm glad to have the peace and quiet." Heather hummed then paused and turned around. "Astrid, you're back!" The black haired girl hugged her friend and almost woke Nikolai from his rest. "Let's go back downstairs." Astrid nodded. Once downstairs Heather began her barrage of questions "So did you meet the dragon man? Is he going to help you? Did you learn why he had a drawing of you? Did you punch him for leaving like he did?"

Astrid sat down, knowing she'd have to answer many more. The two chatted and Astrid filled Heather in on what happened, though she left out some details. They had been talking for an hour when a knock interrupted them, Astrid watched Heather answer the door, then proceed to punch Hiccup. "Hey what was that for?"

Heather allowed him inside and shut the door, "That's for ditching Astrid after she climbed the cliff to get to you." Then she hugged him. "That's for bringing her back in one piece." Heather sat down again and grinned up at Hiccup. "So I hear you're from Berk originally, well not just from Berk, but you and I are one of a kind, the chief heirs." She laughed at his shocked expression. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Astrid knew they had to get going, flying may be quicker, but it would still be a long journey back to Berk. "Thank you for everything Heather, if you ever find yourself visiting Berk, let me know. I'll show you around my village." The two girls hugged before Astrid and Hiccup left. The dragons were waiting on the beach and were more than happy to fly again.

 **Hope you liked it.**


	8. Berk

**Next chapter, just for you! Sorry for the long wait, don't have internet so I can only post at McDonalds.**

 **Flying**

Astrid was scared yet excited, she was finally going home after so long, but worried there wouldn't be a home to go back to. Flying was so much faster, it would only take a day or so to reach Berk. What would people think when they see her with Hiccup, riding on the back of dragons? A traitor, she'd be branded a traitor. Suddenly Astrid felt sick to her stomach, not only would she be a traitor, but her family would be ridiculed. If she turned back now, anyone left on Berk would surely die. A traitor or a deserter, which was worse?  
"If you keep such a sour expression your face will get stuck like that." Astrid jumped at the voice that disturbed her thoughts. She was glad to have the distraction, her worries were getting the best of her. "Everything will be fine Astrid, I'll help Berk and be gone before you know it." The words he meant to comfort her only caused Astrid more pain. She didn't want him to leave, not after finally seeing him again after all these years.

Astrid studied him for the first time, taking in his long hair and strong form. Hiccup wasn't scrawny anymore, nor was he clumsy. Surely no one would recognize him at first, especially if he had his helmet on. She often noticed him talking with the dragons, though she was unsure if he actually understood them or he'd gone insane. She felt guilty for not standing up for him in the past, and not being a friend to him. Maybe if she'd at least talked to him more in Berk Hiccup would have stayed.

Berk. They were so close, she'd complete her mission once they landed. Astrid wanted to see her family again, if they were alive. What if they were dead? Her mother, her father, even her little brothers could be dead. "We need to get there soon, before the next attack. Hiccup we have to fly faster."

Hiccup was surprised at her outburst and watched Stormfly and Astrid zoom past. "Let's go bud, looks like we'll be getting there sooner then I'd like." Toothless chuckled and easily caught up to the females, he was happy to fly fast and really stretch his wings. "We'll need to make a stop before Berk so the dragons can eat." Astrid looked ready to argue but knew Hiccup was only looking out for the dragons. She nodded and kept her eyes on the horizon, hoping to note see smoke billowing from her home.

 **Small Island near Berk**

The dragons were off getting food while Astrid and Hiccup were waiting by the tree line. Astrid was pacing and had her arms crossed over her chest, Hiccup recognized this display even after all these years: the Viking girl was anxious. He sighed and stood up, "Astrid, lets spar."

She whirled around at the sound of her name and gave him a puzzled look. Hiccup had never wanted to spar with her before. "I won't go easy on you just because you're helping me." Her words were tough but she held a smile. Astrid took up a fighting position with both arms up close to her chest and most of her weight balanced on her back foot. Hiccup brought his left arm up and held it across his body while slightly spreading his legs and staring Astrid down.

Astrid made the first move and kicked towards Hiccups head, he easily dodged and sent his own kick towards her stomach. She dodged with a back flip and circled to the left, Hiccup followed with a punch to her chin. Astrid grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud but that didn't stop him. Hiccup twisted his arm and pulled Astrid down before she let go of him. He rolled and pinned her down by grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back then proceeded to sit on her. Astrid wiggled and used her other arm to push herself of the ground, causing Hiccup to jump. She twisted out of his grip and kicked him in the shin, but sadly it was his metal leg and only caused pain to herself.

The two got back on their feet, neither had noticed the dragons who were sitting watching in silence. Astrid lunged at Hiccup who dodged and landed a swift kick to her leg, she stumbled but held her ground. Astrid began punching at him, hoping to make contact with his face. Her barrage was a failure as Hiccup blocked and dodged each hit. In turn he kneed her in the stomach and the duo fell to the ground. He grabbed her arms and pinned them over her head with one hand while keeping the other pressed into Astrid's throat. "Give up?" Hiccup teased.

She struggled but couldn't fight him off, with a defeated sigh she answered him. "I give." He released her arms and neck and smiled down at her. "Humph, next time you won't be so lucky." She rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a smile off her own face. She'd enjoyed sparing with him and even though she'd lost Astrid felt like a winner. As she looked up at the Hiccup, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, and how muscular his arms were. Astrid wondered how it would feel to be wrapped in those strong arms.

Hiccup realized he was still hovering over Astrid and moved off her. When she didn't get up right away her held his hand down towards her. Astrid shook her head and grabbed his outstretched hand, allowing Hiccup to pull her to her feet. Astrid felt her face go red and looked away from Hiccup, she noticed the dragons looking at them. Hiccup followed her eyes and saw his best friend smirking at him. "Let's get going, Berk is close we'll be there in an hour or so. It'll be dark by then, the dragons should stay out of sight so as to not scare anyone."

Astrid nodded and silently got on Stormfly, keeping her eyes on the dragon's blue scales. _"Why didn't the humans mate just now?"_ The proud dragon asked Toothless. Hiccup nearly fell off the black dragon when he heard that.

Toothless ignored his rider _"Humans have strange mating habits, and they must be bonded before they will mate."_ Hiccup turned a deep crimson shade and tried to ignore the dragon's conversation. _"My human has been pining for yours for years, but is too frightened to begin courtship with her."_ Toothless teased his rider.

"I'm not afraid you lousy reptile, it just isn't possible." Hiccup huffed. The dragons laughed at his frustration.

"What are you not afraid of?" Astrid felt confused and left out of whatever was being said between the dragons.

Hiccup gulped, trying to think of a good lie, "Toothless said I was afraid of… you beating me in a dragon race." He knew the dragon was rolling his eyes, but it was the first thing that popped into his mind. "You haven't even been flying a week, it's impossible for a novice like you to beat me." He meant the words as a cover, but Astrid took them as a bet.

"You're on 'Dragon Man' I'll race you to the cliffs of Berk! Ready, set, GO! Go Stormfly!" The two flew off fast on their Dragons, Astrid with the lead until the island came into view. "Oh no." Stormfly felt the shift in her rider's mood and slowed down. Toothless zipped by but quickly circled back. Hiccup looked on, the entire village was ablaze. "I have to save them. Stormfly get to land I have to go save them. The dragon hesitated but landed on the cliff edge and watched her rider dash of towards the fire in the distance.

Hiccup was close behind her "Stay here you two." He yelled back at the dragons while putting on his helmet and disappearing into the forest.

 **Cliffs edge**

Toothless paced the cliff while Stormfly pawed at the ground, both were impatient after waiting several hours. _"We should go after them, your rider should have called us by now."_ Stormfly wanted to go after them and she hated not knowing.

" _If we recklessly go after them they'll be in far more danger then they are now."_ Toothless understood what the other dragon was feeling, but there was no choice. Hiccup was smart and he had his mate by his side so Toothless could only wait for the call.

 **And there is where I'll leave it.**


	9. Danger

**Welcome back readers.**

 **WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VILONCE AND STRONG LANGUGE!**

 **Village of Berk**

Astrid stopped when she saw her home up close, everything was on fire, and no one was there. Most of the buildings had been burned to the ground, leaving only the blacksmith and the training arena. She didn't care if she got hurt, Astrid just needed to find her family. She ripped off part of her tunic and tied it around her face, covering her mouth and nose from the smoke. She ran to the arena, it was the only place everyone could be hiding.

Hiccup saw the blacksmith, if Gobber was alive he'd be in there. Despite his heart telling him to go with Astrid, he had to see if his old friend was still alive. Hiccup watched her one second more before running to his old refuge. The door was blocked by some fallen debris, but the window was still clear. Hiccup slid through the opening, falling onto the stone floor with a small thump clang. "Gobber, are you in here?"

The sound of his voice could barely be heard over the roar of the fire outside. The forge was illuminated by the red glow and Hiccup noticed the building was empty. He was going to leave when he say the door off to the side with a barrel of weapons blocking it. That was his room, he had to look in there. He pushed aside the barrel and opened the door. Dust filled the air, it was obvious this room had gone unused for years. Hiccup noticed his old journals and some random inventions, out of nostalgia he piled everything into a small bag he carried. When everything was done he'd like to think everyone from Berk would welcome him and his ideas, he knew I was wistful thinking, but one could wonder.

Hiccup was leaving the forge and about to call for the dragons when he heard it, the sound that caused his blood to run cold. "HICCUP!" Astrid was screaming. Hiccup had to get to her, he felt like an idiot for leaving her alone.

 **Fighting Arena**

 **WARNING VILONCE AND STRONG LANGUGE!**

Astrid couldn't see any signs of the others, she was so caught up in trying to find her family she didn't notice the person following her. The arena was empty, and she wanted to scream, but instead she made herself relax and look for signs of others. She gripped the handle of her axe tightly and quickly swung it behind her. The second she'd calmed down her senses screamed at her that someone was behind her. Astrid turned to face her stalker and saw the familiar face of Avor the Ruthless, he was one of Berk's greatest enemies. She'd met him only once before and the scar on her back was the proof of it.

He leered at her and she felt a wave of disgust run through her. "Well what do we have here? The little Hofferson girl is all grown up and my, is she fine." Avor went to touch Astrid but she jumped out of reach. He laughed, "As feisty as before I see, I like my women feisty, it's so much more fun training them that way."

"Get away from me!" Astrid snarled at him and held her axe in front of her, there was no way she'd let Avor touch her ever again. He laughed again and motioned with his hands, before Astrid could blink she was surrounded by a dozen men. "I see you're as 'fair' as usual? What was it last time, you and seven men against me and my friend?" Astrid wouldn't allow the number of men intimidate her. She would be fine, and she'd find out why they were here.

Avor dropped his smile and pulled out his sword, "We'll see how strong you when you're beaten and forced to be my new woman." Astrid ignored his threat and focused on the men closing in on her. There were too many for her to face all at once, she needed to take them on a few at a time. Avor rushed at her, stopping her from planning and forcing her to defend herself. One of his men took advantage of this and flanked her. Astrid was prepared and sent a kick to his torso, effectively backing him off.

Another three men attacked from different sides, Astrid blocked one and dodged another, but the third blow hit her right shoulder, cutting deep and sending her to her knees. "Bastards, I'm not done yet." She swung her axe in a circle around her, giving her enough time to stand.

Avor and his men were smirking, they continued attacking her together until Astrid was using her axe as a crutch and barely blocking the attacks in the last second. Avor stopped his men and grabbed Astrid by her tunic. "Where is your fight now?" She spat at him, bloody saliva hitting his face. "Let's see how you like this, warrior bitch." Avor forced her onto the ground and ripped her tunic exposing her bindings.

He began to feel her up and even went as far as to kiss her. When he pulled away Astrid had tears in her eyes and felt truly frightened. She mustered up her voice and screamed, "HICCUP!" she hoped he heard her.

Avor slapped her across the face, quieting her. He pulled Astrid up onto her feet and pushed her towards his men. "She's not alone, we'll head back to the ship and lay a trap for her companion." His men were rough and manhandled her.

Astrid lost feeling in her right arm and used her left arm to cover her exposed chest. As they walked she made sure to allow blood to touch different plants and drip onto the path. Even if they took her before Hiccup could save her, she'd make sure he'd be able to find her in the end. When they came to the coast she let herself fall and made a small mark in the sand before being hauled to her feet again and dragged onto the awaiting ship.

 **Back in Berk**

Hiccup had made it to the arena and saw them taking Astrid away. He followed behind quietly, he could see her clothing was ripped and that she didn't fight back. Once he freed her Hiccup was going to kill every last one of them for what they've done.

He watched them drag her onto a ship and noticed a few more men take up lookout positions around the shore. A large man walked down the path from the arena and held Astrid's axe, from the way the other men acted Hiccup could tell the large man was the leader. He got closer and could hear the leader talking to his men. "Stay on guard for her companion, it seems like Berk wasn't abandoned like we'd thought. I'm going in to play with my new woman, I do not want to be disturbed."

He had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at the man. He couldn't take them all on alone, he needed Toothless. Hiccup backed away and pulled out a wooden horn, the second he used this the men on guard would be on to him. He'd have to hold them off until the dragon arrived, luckily toothless could fly without him now. He took a deep breath and blew into the horn, the noise emitted was loud and could be heard for miles.

Hiccup didn't waste any time, as soon as he made the signal he left his hiding spot and pulled out his special sword. As the men drew near he pressed the button on the side and it coated the blade in flammable gas then lit a spark, he truly was wielding fire. The men were shocked and backed away at first, but soon attacked.

He dodged and blocked attacks left and right, though one or two managed to scratch him. Hiccup was a great fighter, and wouldn't let the men who hurt Astrid go easily. One man lunged at him while he was blocking another's attack and Hiccup fell to the ground. Before any of the men could do any damage the distinct sound of his best friend could be heard and caused men to duck for cover. "NIGHTFURY!" someone cried.

The dragon landed next to Hiccup sending a warning blast at the attackers. "They have Astrid bud, we need to save her." Toothless could feel his rider's anger, whatever these men did had caused the usually level headed rider to become vengeful. The dragon knew human lives would end if his rider's mate was harmed. "I'm going after her, you and Stormfly take care of the men here."

The blue dragon had landed in time to hear the last part and looked around for her rider, when she didn't see her she understood the vengeful aura coming from the male rider. The female dragon grew angry, and you never want to be on the bad side of a Nadder.

 **Inside the Ship**

Astrid was locked in a room shortly after being dragged onto the ship. She was too injured to fight off the men and now she was trapped. She did a quick look of the room and found only bedding and chains on the wall, it wasn't hard to figure out what this room was for. There was a small table next to the bedding with healing materials, she helped herself and bandaged the worst of her wounds.

There was a loud horn outside, Astrid felt relief wash over her. "Hiccup." She knew he was close by and would soon save her. The door to the room opened and Avor walked in, the door was then closed and locked behind him.

The wicked man didn't seem the least bit concerned with the noises from outside, instead he focused his attention on Astrid. "Now my pet, what shall I do first, break your mind or your body?" He purred. Astrid felt bile rise up and forced herself to swallow it.

"I'll die before you break me." She looked him dead in the eyes, and that was exactly what he wanted of her. Avor forced her against the wall and chained her arms above her head to the point where she was dangling from them. Blood stained her right arm, seeping through the bandage and rolling down her neck.

"I love the way crimson contrasts your pale skin." He pulled out a dagger and cut away the rest of her tunic, leaving only her chest bindings, leggings, and her skirt. He licked the blade then grabbed her hair, "I wonder what it looks like when your hair is loose? Let's find out my pet." She flinched as he yanked the tie from her hair, the golden waves flowed around her beaten body and seemed out of place. Avor then cut her bindings and watched the fabric fall to the floor. "Much better, I prefer my bitches without clothing covering the goods. Speaking of which." He traced his dagger up her leggings and made small cuts here and there. I wonder if you're a virgin, let's find out." Before he could continue the door to the room burst open and the silhouette of a man stood in the doorframe.

The man came closer and Astrid knew it was Hiccup, "Let her go." His tone was threatening and caused a cold shiver up her spine, she'd never seen him this way before.

Avor laughed at him and pointed the dagger at Hiccup's chest, "What is a puny boy like you going to do to stop me?" Avor's eyes grew wide as the hilt of his own dagger was sticking out of his side. The large man fell to his knees, and watched as the so called 'puny boy' pulled the dagger out.

Everything had gone by too fast for Astrid to comprehend, one minute Avor held a dagger on Hiccup and the next Hiccup was pulling that very dagger out of Avor. "You deserve death, but getting her to safety is more important, so be grateful." The young man looked up at Astrid, his first thoughts were how he was glad she was alive, than he realized she was in very little clothing. "I-I'll get you down right away." His face was red as he kept his eyes on the chains and tried very hard to not look at the rest of her.

Once she was free Astrid fell to her knees, she no longer had the strength to stand and was glad to have a moment to rest. Hiccup took off his tunic and offered it to her before turning away to give her some privacy. Astrid was too exhausted to feel embarrassed about being seen half naked. She sluggishly slipped on the tunic which was large on her and placed a hand on Hiccup's arm.

He turned around cautiously before looking down at her, he noticed blood was already staining the tunic and there were a number of cuts both old and new. Hiccup also noticed how weak she seemed and knew she needed healing. "Hold on a little while longer Astrid, We just have to get somewhere safe." She nodded and allowed him to pick her up. When her head began to rest against his bare shoulder he felt her blood ooze unto his skin, staining it a dark red.

"Men, get him, get the bastard!" Avor yelled, stilling holding his side and kneeling on the floor. Hiccup didn't wait a second longer, he carried Astrid off the boat to where Toothless and Stormfly were waiting. The dragons had scared off the most of the men, though a few stayed on the beach watching them. Hiccup hopped onto his faithful dragon and before long they were up in the sky well away from the bloodied beach.

 **Sorry for the violence, but if you liked it there will be worse things to come before we end this story.**


	10. Calm before the storm

**This will be a lighter chapter, I hope you like it.**

The first place Hiccup thought to go was the grove Toothless and he had become friends in. It was secluded and quiet, which was perfect for someone who needed healing like Astrid. Stormfly watched worriedly as Hiccup cleaned and bandaged each wound, save for the more personal ones. He only lifted the tunic just enough to get the wounds on her stomach. He'd wait till Astrid was awake again so she could care for her chest wounds.

He watched her all night long, making sure she was alright and didn't take a turn for the worse. It wasn't until noon the following day that Astrid awoke and Hiccup hugged her close to him. He left to get food while she treated her wounds and by the time he got back she was sitting against Stormfly with a new shirt on and her braid back in place. She smiled at him, and relief filled him, allowing him to smile back.

"How are you feeling, do you need anything?" Hiccup busied himself with making the fire bigger and getting it ready to cook the fish. He then pulled out a water pouch and offered it to her. "You need to stay hydrated." Astrid accepted the water and sipped at it.

A silence fell over them, Astrid opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw Hiccup had fallen asleep. She couldn't help the small giggle that left her lips, and was glad only the dragons were awake to hear her. She started getting up and Stormfly helped her balance. Astrid noticed he had bags under his eyes from watching over her all night.

With the help of the dragons Astrid was able to lay Hiccup down in the shade and get some of the fish cooking. She watched the fish closely, flipping them every so often. When they looked done, she carefully took them and placed the cooked fish on the leaf Hiccup had brought them in.

Said male woke up from the smell of food and looked around confused. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawned, and proceeded to try and figure out what was going on. Once his eyes landed on Astrid he remembered it all. Hiccup jumped to his feet and was by her side in an instant, cursing his human need for sleep. "You're still injured, you should be the one resting not me."

Astrid rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I'm fine, I've had worse wounds, and you did a wonderful job of cleaning them, so it's time for you to shut up and eat." She ordered the dragon rider, who in turn rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. He knew that her yelling at him meant she'd be just fine. As the two ate in peace Astrid finally found the words she'd been meaning to say. "Thank you, for everything." He looked at her in surprise, but she kept her eyes on her lap.

Hiccup smiled, this was the first time he felt relaxed since he'd learned Astrid was the one after him. Though she was injured, and the barbarians were still on Berk, he was content. While he looked at her he noticed the way her golden hair shimmered in the sun light, and even in her spiked skirt, she looked like an angel. Of course he'd never mention that to her, once she was better he'd clear the island of dragons and leave forever.

Before he even registered the motion Hiccup had brushed some of Astrid's hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He froze, his hand hovering near her face. Astrid turned her head to look at him, shock written on her face, but something else in her eyes. He drew his hand away and stood abruptly. Before she could question him, he'd hopped upon Toothless and was out of sight. Both of them felt confused and wondered what had just happened.

 **Toothless POV**

He ran away, again, this is getting annoying. Why can't the humans stay and converse? Why must they play such games? I wanted to smack my rider upside the head, but that will have to wait until we land. The only reason I went along with him is to get away from the worrying, blabbermouth Nadder. All day long the female dragon nagged him with questions on the female human, how was he to know when she'd be fine, or when she'd fly again, or even if she'd choose hiccup as her mate? Nadders were so very annoying in general, though admittedly, Stormfly was more tolerable then most, that is, until recently.

" _Why is it you can't just mate her and get all this over with?"_ I didn't expect the downward fall to happen, but apparently Hiccup had stomped his foot, causing the two of us to plummet until he came to his senses.

He straightened out our flying before responding to me, "Bud it's not like that, for one she doesn't think of me in that way, and for two when you want to 'mate' someone you have to court them and marry them first." I could feel his embarrassment.

" _Human rituals are far to annoying."_ I shook my head in disgust, humans are so much trouble.

 **The Grove**

Astrid felt disappointed in both herself and Hiccup. She should have stopped him from leaving, and he should have stayed to explain himself. "Ugh what was that even about?" She threw her hands in the air and flopped backwards, her back bumping Stormfly. "What do you think it meant girl? Why did he leave like that?" She hated not understanding, and not knowing, all the blonde girl wanted was answers. With a loud huff Astrid decided Hiccup wasn't going to have a chance to run again. The second the rider landed she was going to force him to give her all the answers she deserved.

 **Cutting it short because action is gonna happen and want it all in one big chapter.**


	11. Burning

**Hey guys you've all been so wonderful and supportive thank you so so much! I can't believe how popular this story is, over 2,000 views in just one day is astounding I'll try to post once a week.**

 **Toothless POV**

We were flying for hours, the sun had set and the stars were our only light. I didn't mind, my eyes easily adapted and I could make out everything as if it were day out. Hiccup on the other hand had to rely on my senses, this meant flying slow which he prefered. The rider had been muttering to himself most of the trip and it was beyond annoying. _"We're almost back."_ I could feel Hiccup freeze at my words. _"I hope you know what you're going to say, I refuse to fly away again so you're on your own."_ He grumbled something that sounded like 'stupid dragon' and I couldn't help laughing.

When we landed in the grove the girls were asleep, all that remained of the fire was ashes and smoke. I collapsed onto the ground, too tired to scorch it first, Hiccup unclipped himselff and relaxed next to me, falling asleep easily. I followed his lead and soon was dreaming of far off lands and grand adventures.

 **Morning**

Astrid woke to the sound of leaves rusteling and the smell of smoke, her eyes shot open, confused by this rude awakening, only to find she was alone and everything around her was on fire. In a quick decision Astrid jumped to her feet and B-lined for the pond, the water was cold but she prefered it to burning alive. Once she was safe from the fire the blonde warrioress looked for her dragon and fellow rider, alas the smoke was too thick. "Hiccup, Stormfly, Toothless, anyone?" She called out, coughing and chocking on the thick smoke around her.

No voice responded, only the crackel of fire and occasional simmer when something hot touched the water. Refusing to stay trapped in the pond, Astrid dived under, making sure she was completly soaked. "This is so stupid." She told herself before rushing out of the water and through the fire. Now, there was no doubt she was the fastest viking on Berk, but her injuries from the other day took their toll and greatly slowed her down. One of the worse wounds had reopened and the warm red liquid made it's way down her side as she ran. The fire licked her heels and the water dried from her clothes, if she didn't find a way out of the fire soon she'd burn.

Astid followed the rock wall of the grove until she found an entrance, or should we say exit, the only problem being the forest was on fire as well. Though she had a little running room now, it was only a matter of time before she was trapped by the dredful heat source. Taking a deep breath she mustered up the loudest scream she could "Hiccup, if you let me die here I'll kill you!" there were two ways she could run, North to the cliff's edge, or South to the village. South meant barbarians, North meant certain death. "North it is." She smirked to herself before taking off again.

Pain, she just felt pain as she ran, she'd tripped at one point and burned her right leg, so her run was more like a fast limp through the burning forest. The cliff was just up ahead, and so far the fire hadn't caught up with her. It was only a matter of time, and Astrid knew the only way out would be to climb the cliff edge down to the water or if she's lucky a cave.

She hadn't heard from Hiccup, and feared he'd left her to die. That thought alone dampered her spirits, she didn't want to admit it but she needed him, not just to get out of the fire and save Berk, but she needed him in her life. Astrid had felt something stir in her the second she'd learned Hiccup was alive, something she had lost the day she gave up looking for him and thought he was dead. Her heart dropped at the thought, he'd left them before what'd stop him from leaving again?

Astrid dropped to the ground and slowly shifted her body over the cliff side where she dangled, maybe it would be better to give in and just fall to her death, without Hiccup she'd have no way of saving her home, she'd been too late anyway, the Berkians were probably long dead. "Damn you Hiccup." She cried out, her voice soft yet full of pain. The blonde girl cast a glance at the burning island and decided she'd had enough, all that she'd had to live for was probably dead, maybe it was time to join them.

Pushing away those thoughts she took a breath and willed herself to climb down, this cliff was worse then the one she'd climed at knife point. The serface was rounded and slick with rain and blood. Thanks to this and a misplaced foot Astrid lost her grip on the cliff, she fell fast towards the sharp rocks below, yet she didn't impact them. The distinct sound of a NightFury alerted her before she felt her arms jerk her to a stop. Astrid couldn't help the cry of pain that escaped her lips, nor the relif that washed over her injured form. "Took you long enough." She grumbled, not knowing if he'd heard her or not.

If he had Hiccup gave no indication, instead, Toothless flung her into the air and his rider grabed Astrid, holding her close as they flew away from the burning island. After the initial relief of being with Hiccup and being alive wore off all she felt was pain. She welcomed the feeling, it meant she was alive and that was the most important part.

They landed on a beach Astrid had never seen before, the sand was a dark grey and felt like gravel, it shifted beneath their feet and made walking difficut. Hiccup half carried her as they followed Toothless into a large cave on the life side, Stormfly greeted them and cuddled close to her injured rider. Now that she was safe it was time to assess her new wounds, the burn on her leg extended from her knee to mid thigh. The blood had stooped flowing and now the tunic was stuck to her skin, she'd gained a few new cuts on her hands thaks to the cliff and the strain when Toothless had caught her had reopened the wound on her right arm.

Hiccup handed her a few bandages and a small container, "What is it?" There was a silvery substance inside it, it felt cool to the touch. The instant she placed the salve on her burnt flesh Astrid felt relief. With her wounds taken care of and the world not burning around her she began wondering what had just happened. "What or who started that blasted fire?"

The dragon rider looked to his companion, regreting having left her alone while he fed the dragons. "The men from last night, they must have been trying to flush us out, or kill us. Either way we can't go back to the grove." The glare Astrid was shooting towards the cave entrance could have melted the bastards alive.

She turned to him and a shiver of fear ran down Hiccups spine, "They won't get away with this. Berk is my home and I wont let some lunatics drive me away." Her eyes held the unasked question, 'Will you help me?'

 **There you have it.**


	12. NOT A CHAPTER

**Hey sorry about the wait, no internet and tthe place I originally went to is closed for remodeling. I'm sending this over my phone but sadly can't make updates with it because all my stuffs on the computer :( on a better note I will be posting updates on when I'll be able to post and what stories I'll be posting for on my twitter, so if you're interested follow me starrz5545 That's all for now lovelies until next time.**


	13. Healing

**Ugh I hate my job, and spiders, and getting sick, and not having internet. They have been interfering with my writing and posting, I finally have some time so here it is.**

Hiccup didn't know how to respond, if he agreed to help her then he'd be stuck in another battle to the death, and if he refused then Astrid would try to fight on her own. He knew his answer, Hiccup couldn't let her fight alone, not after she'd already been so injured. "Alright, I'll help, but not until you're healed up." Astrid looked ready to argue but shifted wrong and felt pain rip through her leg. "You're in no condition to fight, for now you rest and heal. The salve I gave you has healing properties, it should only take two weeks before you're back to slashing away at the bastards."

A silent battle raged between the two, neither wanted to look away, yet their eye contact slowly developed into something deeper. Forrest green eyes stared deeply into clear blue eyes, were they getting bigger? The two leaned in slowly, Astrid stopped, her eyes going wide and she shot back, practically slamming her head against the stone wall of the cave. "I need to re bandage my wounds." She blurted out, eyes locked on the bloodied bandages around her leg.

Hiccup nodded, looking at the floor, "I'm gonna go feed the dragons and take them for a flight." He didn't wait for a response, instead he bolted out the cave opening and jumped onto Toothless. "Let's go get breakfast." Toothless complied, his stomach growling. "Stormfly, you stay here, we'll bring you food." The nadder nodded, resting in front of the cave.

While snagging fish Toothless brought something to his rider's attention. _"You know, she's waiting for you to make a move on her rider, as am I. Just claim the girl as your mate and stop this silly human game."_ Hiccup tried ignoring his nosy dragon, but Toothless would not be detoured easily. _"Are we staying to help your mate, or are you willing toleave the injured human to defend herself? After all you said she's not your mate so you have no reason to stay, and if she is your mate and you leave then you are just as bad as the other humans."_ The dragon's rant was interrupted by a flaming rock almost hitting them.

Hiccup could see a large ship below them, if he'd been paying attention they could have avoided it all together. "Up and away bud, we don't have time for them now." The dragon nodded and turned to the clouds, they had enough fish anyway.

Stormfly started jumping around when she saw us approach. Hiccup chuckled and left the dragons to eat while he brought some fish into the cave for he and Astrid. Said blonde was sitting by the fire, eyes closed, humming an odd tune. He recognized it as an old folk song they would sing during festivals. It felt like a lifetime ago since he'd heard it last. Astrid stopped when she heard him approach and turned to face the rider. In his absence she came to the conclusion that he will always be a runner, so she'd have to make it so he can't run next time... though she was ready to run as well, her injuries prevented this.

The sight of the fish had Astrid's stomach growling, she smiled and patted the spot next to her, "That looks good, lets get cooking." Hiccup smiled back, claiming the spot beside her and getting the fish ready to cook. They spent the rest of the day relaxing, Astrid was still to injured to do anything, and Hiccup needed to decide whether to stay or not.

 **Three weeks later**

Astrid was tired of waiting, she was healing up well thanks to the medicines Hiccup had, and now she was ready to kick some ass, but Hiccup was stubborn, he wanted to make sure she was completely healthy, so they had waited, and waited, and waited. No the blonde warrioress was ready and the dragon rider had to make his decision.

He knew the answer, but wasn't ready for the consequences, this would be an end to everything thus far, could he really give it all up? One look at the pacing blonde and he had his answer. "Astrid, get your things together, we're taking back our home." A large smile formed on Astrid's face as she jumped at Hiccup, hugging him tightly. "As-Astrid, need air." She let him go, her cheeks tinged with red. The warrioress proceeded to pack up camp while Hiccup got the dragons ready for battle. The sun was setting and the dragons would have an advantage, this would be an easy victory.

With everything ready and the sun having disappeared beyond the horizon, the two fighters climbed apon their dragons and took to the sky, ready to free their home of barbarians.

 **This is the end, stay tuned for more.**


	14. The Berkians

**I'm back, sorry for the really, really long wait... I hope you'll forgive me after reading this chapter!**

 **On an unknown island far south of Berk**

Ten ships sailed up into the sand, the island was beautiful, and dragon free according to the scouts reports. The first person to step foot off a boat was a large burly man, he had a long reddish beard with grey streaks, he was weathered from battle and sailing, but he held strong for his people. He was Stoic, leader of the Viking tribe the hairy hooligans, and currently helping his tribe find a new home. Stoic eyed the island, it was like their old one, though the climate was warmer, but they would adjust. There was a large forest ripe with game, and a clearing big enough for a village, if the scout reports are true.

"We'll sleep on the beach tonight, if anything happens we set sail. Gather wood and any food you find, time to set camp." With that order everyone got moving, though one couple held back. Stoic watched them, understanding flowing over him. They had lost their daughter like he had lost his son, he wished to take back sending her on that mission. If he had known the dragons would stop the attacks that week he never would have sent her.

After the attacks stopped he tried to reach Astrid, but a storm hit and no ship could sail through it. When it cleared they received word that she had been taken by a dragon and, though the rest of the letter was missing, they knew what that meant. The village had mourned, they had set a pyre at sea for her, her old armor and a lock of hair from her first haircut the only mementos to be burned. Her mother had sobbed, and even her father had shed a few tears. They set sail a day after, wanting to find safety lest the dragons return. It was another two weeks of sailing before they found the current island.

Stoic wondered over to the two, placing his hands on their shoulders. While he wasn't always great with words, he tried to relay his meaning through his gesture. Ellna smiles sadly, "We don't blame you Chief, I know my girl's watching us in Valhalla with your boy." At his wife's words Greegan nod's, taking her hand and guiding her to the tree line to collect firewood. Stoic watches them a moment longer then heads off to help his village collect supplies.

The night went by peacefully, further scouting proved there to be no dragons on the island, and no trace of dragons visiting the island. Everyone looked to Stoic, and so he made the call: This would be their new home.

 **Back on Berk**

The Barbarians were camped out on the beach, though they had pillaged everything, Avor wouldn't leave till the dragon man was dead. "Have you found them yet? I want that bastard's head on a spike, and that bitch as my prize!" The men around nodded, they had been searching all day, and were too exhausted to argue. Avor growled and stomped back into the ship, the men sighed and went to bed, they would start their search again in the morning.

No one noticed the two shadows landing outside of camp, no one had bothered to stay up and keep watch, after all it had been safe the last few weeks, what would make tonight any different.

Astrid gripped her Axe with both hands, this would be the night she got her revenge for the humiliation Avor put her through, and the scars he left on her body. She looked to Hiccup as he murmured something to Toothless and Stormfly, the two dragons took to the sky where they would wait for the signal to attack. Hiccup turned to Astrid and nodded, they had made a plan while Astrid was healing, now was the time to see if it'd work. "Remember, if it get's too hairy we'll signal the dragons to meet us at the cliffs." Astrid nodded and the two made their way into camp.

The fires were put out one by one, creating an erie darkness, the sounds of snoring were all that filled the air, until fire started popping back up, this time it was tents being set on fire. Screams filled the air, and that's when the dragons above made their attacks. Toothless shot fiery plasts into the unsuspecting men while Stormfly shot spikes from her tail. The men were pinned down and forced to head away from the ship, leaving Avor unprotected. Astrid took the opening and dashed aboard while Hiccup and the dragons got to work disarming and knocking out everyone. Only one person would die tonight, the rest they would send away with the threat to never come back.

Astrid knew Avor was on the ship, it was just a matter of finding him. Not wanting to draw this out Astrid did the first thing that came to mind. "Bastard, come out and face me!"

It didn't take long for Avor to meet her on deck, he was wearing a full set of armor and wielding a sword and shield. "I do love when my toys come to play, are you going to come quietly or do I have to drag you?" Astrid spit at him, holding her axe steady. "Looks like you need more training." the vile man launched at her, sword clanged against axe. She pushed back and swung her axe towards his chest. He blocked with the shield, and used the but of the sword to knock her away.

Astrid launched a kick to his head, and followed through with her axe. Avor was able to dodge the kick, but the axe caught him in the side. He reeled back, then launched forward trying to slash her with his sword, but she was to agile and dodged his attacks. She spun away from one jab and used her momentum to send a strong kick to his chest. Avor blocked with his shield and pushed Astrid back, she fell and barely managed to bring her Axe up in time to black a blow to the chest. He wanted her dead, and to see her blood stain the deck of his ship. Astrid rolled away and stood, she twisted the axe and lunged forward. The attack hit the floor near Avor's feet, and before he could react shed pulled the blade up, slicing through his chest armor and grazing his flesh.

The enraged man threw his shield at Astrid, who ducked out of the way. He gripped his sword and ran at her, planning to cut her trough, she side stepped and he swung at her, slashing her tunic and slicing her side. Astrid winced and held her side briefly, pushing the pain away to focus on her enemy. He was smiling now, an evil smile that said he knew she'd never beat him. Astrid took a deep breath, steadying herself, and lunged again. This time Avor dodged her, kicking her away. She grabbed his leg and pulled him forward, knocking off his balance, he fell and she took her advantage to cut the very leg he had kicked at her with. The wound was deep, and blood pooled out, but he wasn't ready to give in. He thrusted his sword, catching her in the stomach. Thanks to his injuries and her own dodging she didn't take too much damage.

Astrid kicked the sword out of his hand and knocked it away, she raised her axe high and brought it down swiftly, ending Avor's life with more mercy then he deserved. Bloody and battle worn, she made her way off the ship. Hiccup was heading her way, he had just finished his task and had left the dragons to guard the men while he checked on Astrid. When he saw her bloodied form he rushed over to her.

The warrioress smiled up at him, dropping her axe and letting him hold her up. Hiccup didn't care about the blood staining his armor, he was just happy to see her standing. The dragon rider picked his companion up and grabbed her axe. She let herself rest in his embrace, glad to be alive, and glad to have her friend by her side.

 **Hope you liked it, I'll try to write another chapter soon!**


	15. Update on Story Status

Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I've posted. My grandmother passed away and it caused me to lose motivation. I also had a baby in June so things have been hectic. I'm happy to say my mojo is back and I plan on writing again. It'll be a little bit before it's posted because I'm moving but I promise to update as soon as the next chapter is ready!


	16. Searching for Vikings

**Alright here's chapter 14!**

Astrid and Hiccup stood with their dragons and watched the ship sail away, the men abord it were glad to be free of Avor and agreed never to return to Berk. The men had said there had been word that Berk was abandoned and had come to scavenge what they could. The village seemed to have been empty for a few weeks before they burned it down. Astrid was relieved to hear this, there was hope of her family and friends still being alive.

Thet stood watching the boat until it was a speck on the horizen, then they made their way into town. The mead hall was the only building standing, so they had made camp there. Hiccup helped Astrid to a seat and put soem wood on the fire, they were silent for what seemed like ages, both too lost in thought to hold proper conversation.

After awhile Astrid spoke up, "Do you think they'd accept us, I mean they wanted the dragon man right? So if we went looking for them they'd listen to us, wouldn't they?" She looked doubtful of her own words. She knew they'd be happy to see her and Hiccup, but would they accept the dragons?

Hiccup pondered her questions, trying to find an answer that would be true and held some hope, "Some of them will be so happy you're back that they wouldn't care you were riding a dragon, and others would think you're crazy. They would have to be willing to change, you were willing to try, so they might too." Astrid nodded, leaning her head on Hiccup's shoulder and letting herself fall asleep. She was still exhausted from her fight yesterday and the blood she lost. Hiccup gently set Astrid down on her bedroll and brushed the hair from her face, smiling to himself.

Toothless grinned at Stormfly, the dragons knew it was just a matter of time for their hopeless humans to admit their feelings. For now they'd watch and let them do their weird rituals.

 **New Berk**

Thanks to the lack of dragons, the vikings were able to start building, they made the mead hall first so as to have a place big enough for everyone to stay. It would take another week to finish so they could have a solid roof, but the vikings were proud of the work so far. They had plenty of food, and the weather had been fair so far. They couldn't have asked for a better find, and praised the gods for their luck every day.

 **Old Berk**

Hiccup and Astrid had agreed to setting off to find their families after Astrid was healed. This gave them time to prepare, and hiccup was going over his maps of island's around Berk. There were a handful, but he knew they wouldn't want one with lots of dragons, or any dragons for that matter. That left three possibilites, one in the North, one in the South, and one to the West. It would be hard for them to be in the nothern island, it was always covered in snow so no crops could be grown, and the ocean iced this time of year. They had stopped at the one in the West, but they could have missed the vikings, so it'd be best to stop there again and check it out, then head South if they don't find anything. He relayed the plan to Astrid, she liked it, "We should send word to Chief Ironbull, he may have gotten word of where they went." Hiccup agreed and wrote out a brief letter to let him know what had happened and if he knew anything that may help. He called a carrier Hawk and sent it on its way.

 **Two Weeks Later**

They hadn't heard back from the chief, so the riding duo decided it was time to search for the Berkians, it had been a long time and Astrid wanted to see everyone again. Hiccup wanted to see Gobber again, he wanted to makesure the old viking was alright. So they took off to the Western Island, it was a couple hours of flying, but they made it before the sunset.

A quick scope of the island and it was obvious they were alone, there was no trace of human life, let alone animale life. It was eerie how silent the island was, unnatural for such a vibrent island. The Dragons happily changed course for the Southern Island, wanting to escape the Island that reeked of death. _"Something terrible happened there, all I could smell is blood. We should be careful."_ Toothless alerted Hiccup.

The rider was quiet for awhile, pondering the dragon's words. Finally he spoke, keeping his voice low so Astrid couldn't overhear. "Was it human?" toothless shook his head no. Hiccup sighed in relief, relaxing a bit. He still wanted to investigate, but first he had to find the Hairy Hooligan tribe, he had promised Astrid. After that, well, he didn't want to think about it.

Astrid had her mind on her family, she'd never been away this long, and though she'd never admit it out loud, she was scared she'd never see them again. She had to stay strong, even when she felt weak, Vikings couldn't be weak afterall. 'But...', Astrid couldn't help thinking, 'am I even still a viking?'

 **Here it is, Chapter 14!**


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